Overview

Ratings & Reviews

Synopsis

William Shakespeare's Romeo + JulietThe classic Shakespearean romantic tragedy is updated by director Baz Luhrmann to a post-modern Verona Beach where swords are merely a brand of gun and bored youths are easily spurred toward violence. Longtime rivals in religion and business, the Montagues and the Capulets share a page from the Jets and Sharks of West Side Story when they form rival gangs. Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) is aloof toward the goings-on of his Montague cousins, but after he realizes that Juliet (Claire Danes) is a Capulet at the end of one very wild party, the enmity between the two clans becomes the root of his angst. He relies heavily -- and with serious consequences -- on his rebel gender-bender of a friend, Mercutio (Harold Perrineau Jr.), and Father (not Friar) Lawrence (Pete Postlethwaite) for protection and support. Romeo is, of course, exiled, and it looks like Juliet will be forced into an arranged marriage with the bland Paris (Paul Rudd). It ends, as Romeo and Juliet must, when Romeo hears a tragic piece of misinformation and brings his suicide wish to what was meant to be Juliet 's temporary tomb. This time, though, the turf and the weapon of choice have taken a turn toward the surreal. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Moulin RougeThe third film from pop-music-obsessed director Baz Luhrmann tweaks the conventions of the musical genre by mixing a period romance with anachronistic dialogue and songs in the style of his previous Romeo+Juliet (1996). Ewan McGregor stars as Christian, who leaves behind his bourgeois father during the French belle époque of the late 1890s to seek his fortunes in the bohemian underworld of Montmartre, Paris. Christian meets the absinthe- and alcohol-addicted artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (John Leguizamo), who introduces him to a world of sex, drugs, music, theater, and the scandalous dance known as the cancan, all at the Moulin Rouge, a decadent dance hall, brothel, and theater that's the brainchild of Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent). Christian also meets and falls into a tragically doomed romance with the courtesan Satine (Nicole Kidman), who becomes the star of the play he's writing, which parallels the couple's romance and utilizes rock music from a century later, including songs by Nirvana, Madonna, the Beatles, and Queen, among others. Loosely based on the opera Orpheus in the Underworld, Moulin Rouge was shown in competition at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Overall Customer Rating

Love it
Posted by: alyxjai from: Columbus,ga on Two great movies for the price of one. I got my order fast and it was exactly what I wanted

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

5

Magnificent, opulent, tremendous, stupendous
Posted by: masterchiefmelo from: Casselberry, FL on Whatever you think of Baz Luhrmann's frenetic, flamboyant filmmaking style, you can't say that the Aussie director lacks ambition. Moulin Rouge, the culmination of his so-called "Red Curtain Trilogy"—following the glittery Strictly Ballroom and the Shakespeare-meets-SoCal modernization of his Romeo + Juliet—Luhrman set out to reinvent the movie musical, that stalest of Hollywood genres
Fox's stunning new Blu-ray releases, a must-own for fans of Baz Luhrmann's insanely colorful—or is it colorfully insane?—creative vision

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

4

2 great movies for 1 LOW price
Posted by: Chimay from: Tulsa, OK on Bahz Luhrmann doesn't do it any better!
Moulin Rouge: The music, the drama, the visuals - no one else but Bahz can make a musical appealing to BOTH genders! Outstanding in all regards!
R&J: if anyone were to inspire the youth and make Shakespeare relevant, it's Bahz. This two pack would have gotten 5 stars but had to deduct a star because Claire Danes is not leading lady material. She was cast at the height of her popularity from that MTV show and doesn't have the chops or looks to be Juliet, but still a great movie.

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

5

A double visual treat!
Posted by: ThreeDMan from: Dallas, TX on I had the previous special edition DVDs of both these movies, and they were packed with extras and had fantastic quality. This new two-pack has all the same great extras as well as new stuff, and the picture and sound are exquisite. You'll either love or hate the movies. I love what Baz was trying to do and it's new and different but always has heart at the core.

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

4

Great bluesy
Posted by: chovorka from: Racine, Wisconsin on Great movies tied together for great price. Really liked the original. For the price it's hard to find 2 better bluray movies in one

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

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